The Weird Week in Review

Ticket Paid with 137 Origami Pigs

An unnamed driver was issued a ticket for running a red light after being caught by a camera in Jersey Village, Texas. He paid his fine, all right, but in one dollar bills, each folded into an origami pig, then arranged in two doughnut boxes. He then uploaded a video of the exchange to YouTube and more pictures of the pigs at imgur. Officials were amused at the stunt, but then asked him to unfold the dollars.

Plastic Flamingos Held for Ransom

Arthur O'Neil of Mansfield, Massachusetts has been decorating his lawn with plastic pinks flamingos for years, even dressing them up for holidays, which entertained the neighbors. But for the past few months, the flamingos have been disappearing one by one. Then one of the flamingos reappeared with a ransom note written on it:

"We have the flamingos....
If you ever want to see Arturo and his friends again, call [this number]."

The fact that the perpetrator knows the name of a plastic flamingo would make one believe the thief is someone O'Neil knows. O'Neil turned the evidence over to police. No arrests have yet been made.

Bartender Recognized Stolen Credit Card as His Own

David Weber of Miami Beach, Florida is accused of breaking into a car Monday night and stealing a credit card. He then went into a bar and ordered a beer. Weber attempted to pay his tab with the credit card, but the bartender noticed his own name on the card. He had bar security call police, who arrested Weber on credit card fraud and theft charges. Weber claimed he found the card on the ground.

Police Called Over Singing Schoolchildren

Students from Coconut Palm Elementary in Miramar, Florida, went to their local Walmart store to sing "God Bless America" flashmob-style on Tuesday to commemorate the events of 9/11. The school had received permission from a Walmart manager for the performance. However, that manager was not at the store when the students arrived, and the choir was turned away. The group then decided to sing outside next to the flagpole. Store management called the local police to come and disperse the crowd of children and parents, who were in the process of leaving by the time officers arrived. Walmart has since apologized, but did not explain the miscommunication.

8-Year-Old Runs Away from Home in Family Car

An unnamed 8-year-old boy on a farm in Australia was upset that his mother wouldn't let him have a pet duck. The angry child jumped in the family's vehicle, which has a manual transmission, and took off. His mother called police, and then drove another vehicle to chase her son at speeds of up to 100 kph. The boy's vehicle only stopped when he blew two tires. By the time police arrived, the mother and son were together. The boy was warned, but won't be charged because of his age. No word yet on the duck.

Fermented Fish Mistaken for Gas Leak

Apartment residents in Stockholm, Sweden were alarmed by an unfamiliar and unpleasant smell and called emergency services to report a gas leak. Two fire trucks, two police vehicles, and an emergency gas leak team rushed to the building, where several neighbors were concerned about the smell. An investigation revealed the smell was coming from a can of Surströmming, which is fermented fish. Surströmming is a Swedish delicacy that smells particularly nasty, and was being served at a party in the building. Police said that particular mistake has been made before.

Miss Cellania has written for mental_floss since 2007. She is also the managing editor at Neatorama and keeps a small humor blog called Miss Cellania. In her spare time, she is raising a frightening number of children in a small Kentucky town.